Unspoken Rules of Fanfiction: A Guide
by darkdoll25
Summary: Not entirely based on Harry Potter. Uses characters as examples for the lessons. Read it or not, I'm not forcing you too.   Repeat: This is JUST A GUIDEBOOK USING HARRY POTTER CHARACTERS. SO DON'T COME HERE LOOKING FOR A FANFIC. With a new co-author: FrostDrop
1. Chapter 00: Intro

Unspoken Rules of Fanfiction

Chapter 0: Intro

Now, I am going to use characters of Harry Potter for this guide. A guide, of unspoken rules that you will eventually find out, in Fanfiction.

Since mostly everyone has heard of Harry Potter and its wonderful characters, they are THEE perfect examples for this. Warning, you could get mad at me because of some examples. I get that, they are supposed to make you annoyed and irritated. Only some though, it's not going to happen the whole time.

This is only an introduction for the guide, so I'm making this like a book.

Dedicated to my Fanfiction/Real Life friend, FrostDrop.

Avid Reader, soon-to-be first time writer.

This is for you, my friend.

Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the examples and the wordings of my rules.

Harry Potter belongs ONLY to J.K. Rowling, and no one else.


	2. Chapter 01: OOC

Chapter 1: OOC

"Either you know it, or you don't."

I have seen many people BASH on a story, for having a canon character being OOC. No matter how MINOR or MAJOR it is, you will always see flames if you have an OOC.

A Minor OOC: For example, take Draco. You know how he is. Silently sexy (After UnderOneSky had reviewed, I shall say that its my opinion of him being 'silently sexy'), a person forced to be evil, and forced into an awkward hug with Voldemort.

EX STORY:

"Hermione..," Draco said her name softly. She was on a rampage, and he didn't want to get her angry. Even though she has every RIGHT to be.

"Don't talk to me, Draco. I cannot believe you did such a thing!"

_He pulled her close into a hug. _

"I did it for you, trust me."

END OF EX STORY.

Be honest, was it that THAT bad? It was to progress the plotline of X story and it did the job.

A Major OOC: Something we DO NOT WANT AT ALL. This is the one, where people FLAME.

EX STORY:

"Hermonie!" Draco shouted from the end of the hall. She breathed out in a huff, and spun around.

"What do you want?"

"_I'm sorry! I love you so much, I'm willing to do anything for you. I'll kill Voldemort, my parents, even destroy 50 million snakes.. JUST FOR YOU."_

END OF EX STORY.

See the difference? DO YOU SEE? I even italicized for you! Even I would flame on the second example. And I don't flame usually, except for.. you know.. My Immortal.

People say, that if you write OOC, it means you don't know the character well enough. Even if you do it intentionally, or even unintentionally.

I say it's wrong. You aren't the original author. The original author is like the creator of a separate world. They know every little quirk, dislike, or like their characters have. You don't. This is called a fanfiction, something that YOU own. And if people bash you because of that, then why are they even HERE for?

I'm not saying that you should twist the character so much, that it can't even be CALLED the canon character anymore. Like same name and appearances, but a totally different person. Just like My Immortal. If you haven't checked that out, you should. Best example of what NOT to put in a fanfiction.

Have you ever seen a summary includes, "IC"?

[I made that up right now, but I don't know if anyone else has too.] It means, "In Character".

I'm taking that as a 'No.' because the authors of those fanfictions KNOW that they can't have a perfect character. You have to appreciate their effort though, if they seem to be trying.

I hope I wasn't rambling in this, because I think this can help the rest of those people new to the fanfiction world.

Well, first lesson done.

Let's get to the second.


	3. Chapter 02: Summaries and Titles

Chapter 2: Summaries+Titles

"Hook, Line, and Sinker"

I didn't think people would actually review or favorite this. Heck, I didn't even think people would read this. But this isn't about how many hits or visitors I have, this is to inform YOU about the rules of Fanfiction.

Whether they be visible or not.

Let's begin. Summaries, ah the dreaded moment of posting a story. You think to yourself, three 'w's.

**Why?** People have multiple reasons for choosing the perfect fanfiction to read. They all have various likes or dislikes, so you can't expect to have them ALL read yours. It's more like a hit-or-miss kind of thing.

**Where?** Where does this story take place? Somewhere in ancient times? AU? Parallel Universe (If everything is the same except some details which changes the plot, major or minor counts.)

**What?** Most important part. This has GOT to be your main focus in the summary. What is it ABOUT?

Also, most people look if there are any pairings. If not, just note it down.

I'm going to give you, as always, a bad and good example of a summary.

BAD EX SUMMARY:

_Harry Potter fights a dragon. Bad summary, plz read and review. _

Someone's thoughts: "…He fought a dragon in the movie. Are you going to make that into words or what? Wait, so it's just a battle between Harry and the 'dragon'? Nice. Next one!

Note: Some people use this as proof that you are probably trolling or you just can't write. If you can write a 2000+ word chapter, and can't write a 251 word summary.. that just doesn't make sense.

GOOD EX SUMMARY:

_Harry realizes after living 25 years in peace and harmony, that Voldemort had a son. A son that's willing to take revenge on anyone who had a hand in his father's death, especially Neville Longbottom. They meet in Hogsmeade to discuss their plans. Who else but Harry's kids to follow his footsteps and protect along with them?_

_Can Harry and his friends reunite to protect him.. and eventually destroy the Dark Lord's son? No pairings._

Someone's thoughts: Woah! Voldemort had a SON? With WHO? Neville is the main character now? Hmm, maybe I'll give this a try!

You got to 'hook' in the reader to at least READ your summary.

The line is slowly dragging them into the story..

The sinker is the final destination. They got here! Now, they are eagerly (more or less) reading your story.

That's basically how a good summary can lead to more visitors.. more hits.. and eventually more reviews.

On to titles.

Now, there are four things a person looks at so they decide to read it or not.

1. Summary

2. Word Count bigger than Chapter Count

3. Reviews (Heck, if people think it's good enough to review, then it has to be good right? This doesn't really count especially if the story had JUST been posted.)

4. Title**

5. (UnderOneSky has stated that quality is a major factor, so I shall put this in) Quality

**You got to have a good title.

Let's say, for instance, Ron had a pet unicorn. He named it MoonShine.

What will the title be? Guess..

P.S. He loved it very much.

Most Appropriate Title:

Moonshine: My Irreplaceable Love

Least Appropriate Title:

I LOVE MOONSHINE!

They want titles that are mysterious and informative.

Not great to have a summary about pencils and have a title about laptops.

TEST YOURSELF:

*What are the three 'w's, and the extra one (that doesn't start with a 'w')?

*What are the five things a person looks at first before even clicking on your story title?

If you read chapter 1:

*What are the two types a character can be? (HINT: They are acronyms)

*In what kind of situation is it alright for a canon character to be OC?

*Give one example to how a character can be OC or IC on the given scenario.

Given Character:

Dumbledore

Given Scenario:

He just found out his impulsiveness for chocolate, and he's willing to do anything to get it.

Words of Wisdom from FrostDrop:

As an individual, when an author reads a review, it indicates a few qualities of their writing abilities.

First of all, their use of grammar and spelling. If they spell like a five year old, would you really click their username? Capitalization.

If there is a period at the end of a sentence, everybody knows to bring that 'i' to an I.

All in all, reviews tell an author whether they can WRITE or not.


	4. Chapter 03: Wall of Words

A/N:

Hannahzzz: Thank you for the support, I really appreciate it. You don't have to feel obliged to reviewing, though it is helpful if you could recommend some things that could help me improve more.

UnderOneSky: Thank you **so so** much for the criticism and advice. This isn't sarcasm, this is what I truly think. I haven't gotten good correction-type reviews in a very long time. And I did heed your advice, I never choose not too when giving the choice. Course they'll have to be reasonable, and doable.

Warning: A lot of 'mini-paragraphs' in this one.

* * *

><p>Chapter 3: Wall of Words<p>

"Where was I?"

Hello, again! I realized I hadn't updated in a while, and I'm sorry. But enough, we've got to go into the most annoying aspect of a fanfiction if the author is the type to do this.

The Wall of Words. Heard of that term before? It's literally what it's called. A wall of words.

Two Types of the Wall of Words

It actually depends whether you can take it or not.

1. Paragraph (Technically, this is a wall of words)

2. Page Long (Seems to go on forever)

PARAGRAPH EXAMPLE:

_Harry shakily reached for his wand. Any sudden movement might attract the attention of the Death-Eaters. He licked his lips, feeling suddenly thirsty. It wasn't good that he was hiding inside a very cramped closet, prone to making a noise and alerting the enemy. The enemies outside were drinking some sort of potion, shouting in pain every once in a while. Harry remembered what Hermione had once told him about the rumored 'magic enhancing' concoction that was banned. If they were really drinking the banned potion, then he was in for some big trouble._

PAGE LONG EXAMPLE:

Note: Might not be as worse as some, but I tried.

_Harry didn't know that lipstick was so pink and feels like wax against his lips. Perhaps even like solid water. Or was there something like that? Maybe ice. Hermione smirked as she pulled out at least 50 of her lipsticks and keep 'painting' them onto Harry's face. He was soon looking like an art piece than a human or a clown. Ron was feeling quite jealous. How come Harry had the permission to wear lipstick and he couldn't? And both of his friends seemed quite amused by it. Time passed as Ron kept sulking by the dark corner. Giggles erupted from Hermione who would kept reaching back behind her for more and more lipstick. Harry frowned, when was this torture going to end? He realized that it was wrong to sneak into the girl's dormitory when they were all getting ready for bed.. but was this truly necessary? Could it be that there were forbidden rules of seeing a girl get into their bed or something? Maybe it's just a privacy thing. Hermione then sighed, and answered his unanswered question. "Don't you know someone was changing right behind you? If you had turned around the second you went inside our room, you would've died. It was Sarah Hippengen, the champion girl wrestler of her muggle school. Shame on you, Harry!" Ron laughed from his seat, unable to contain it any longer. So this was why Harry was being turned into a canvas. It seemed like fooling around for him, and he wanted to join in the fun. Now, he wasn't that eager any more. Because, Hermione was reaching for the eye-liner. He had seen what eyeliner did to woman, and it was actually nice. But he had never seen it done to guys before. He leaned in slowly, wanting to observe what will happen. I'm running out of things to put because I can't think like this. Blah blah blah, if you truly read all the way down here, I shall proceed to give you a cookie. It can be chocolate, peanut butter, or just plain sugar. I like sugar cookies. Does Harry like sugar cookies? Why is sugar pronounced as shugar? Why not suu-gar? Maybe it just sounds Japanese and people didn't want it to be confused with some actual character in Japan. Is this long enough? I think it's long enough. Now to end this with Harry in the sentence._

* * *

><p>Now, I know that it's hard to read the next line because its really hard to find your line. You realize a second later that you have just read the same line, or the line before of what you previously JUST read. Some people, when they even see the first 5-10 sentences that seems to keep going on when they scroll down, immediately zip out of the fanfiction. If they are like that, they are in -a harsh sense- a lazy reader. Luckily, not everyone writes walls of words.<p>

And if you are more focused into reading the next correct line, you tend to forget what the story is even about and have to re-read and possibly lose your place. Again.

I don't think it's hard for you to see that a 'Page Long' Wall of Words is ever a good thing. Paragraphs can be called one, if it's a short short wall. Take a look inside a book. A book is a better place for a 'wall of words' that goes on for an entire page, because the book's page is smaller than your laptop screen.

Well usually, if you aren't reading this on an iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab or whatever.

The sentences are stretched out on a computer screen, whilst in the book, it's easier to find your place. Though, you could always put your finger in the current line that you are reading and put that as a place mark for reference.

But why would you go through such trouble?

Some people take this as a sign (the wall of words) that the author isn't good. No paragraph breaks, no indentations, and the button 'Shift' probably doesn't even exist on their keyboard.

Whether you read aloud or in your mind, a paragraph break is like a break for your mind. It takes all the information that you had just read, and put it together into a scene for you to imagine what it was truly like. Then when you go on to the next paragraph or line, the brain then continues to pile up all the information.

If that makes sense, then I shall end the chapter in here. If not, I shall let you to ponder what you feel a Wall of Words can mean for your fanfiction.

Disclaimer for readers:

This is your choice to believe or not whether the Unspoken Rules of Fanfiction is accurate or not.

Thank you a lot for your time. Read the next one or not is your choice.


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